Feinstein: Declassify Underlying Intelligence Reports, Materials Related to Unmasking Requests

Washington—Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on incoming Director of National Intelligence Ratcliffe and Attorney General Barr to declassify and produce the underlying intelligence reports and other materials related to the unmasking of Lt. General Michael Flynn and the transcripts of his phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. 

Senator Feinstein wrote: “Your offices recently declassified and produced a list of individuals who requested to ‘unmask’ the identity of a U.S. person – Lt. General Michael Flynn – who was referenced in certain foreign intelligence reports. In addition, your offices have been asked to produce a list of individuals who may have received the names of additional Trump campaign and transition officials in response to an unmasking request.

“I request that you also declassify and produce the underlying intelligence reports and other materials related to those unmasking requests.”

Full text of the letter follows:

May 22, 2020

John Ratcliffe
Director of National Intelligence
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Washington, D.C. 20511

The Honorable William P. Barr
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20530

Dear Director Ratcliffe and Attorney General Barr:

Your offices recently declassified and produced a list of individuals who requested to “unmask” the identity of a U.S. person – Lt. General Michael Flynn – who was referenced in certain foreign intelligence reports. In addition, your offices have been asked to produce a list of individuals who may have received the names of additional Trump campaign and transition officials in response to an unmasking request.

I request that you also declassify and produce the underlying intelligence reports and other materials related to those unmasking requests. Specifically, I ask that you provide the Committee with:

1. All intelligence reports as to which officials made an unmasking request that revealed General Flynn’s name, as listed in the document you provided to Senators Grassley and Johnson on May 13, 2020.
   
   
2. The transcripts of General Flynn’s phone calls with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak and any FBI reports summarizing their calls, which Senator Grassley and I requested in February 2017, as well as any other intelligence reports concerning these conversations.
   
   
3. To the extent you identify other unmasking requests responsive to Chairman Graham’s May 19, 2020 letter, the intelligence reports as to which officials made each request.
   
   

Thank you for your prompt attention to this request.

Sincerely,

Dianne Feinstein
Ranking Member
Senate Committee on the Judiciary

cc: The Honorable Lindsey O. Graham
      Chairman, Senate Committee on the Judiciary